The Matchmaker
by lulu-loves-watermelon
Summary: Bella is going to Juilliard, where she meets Alice, who introduces Bella to Edward. Bella is an actress and Alice is a dancer. Bella gets a job working backstage for the production of The Matchmaker.


The elevator doors opened to a long, strait hallway in the Meredith Willson Residence Hall. I walked a little more than halfway down hallway before I found the double room that I was going to be sharing with another freshman for my first year at Juilliard.

I had just come to New York City from Phoenix and was surprised to find myself not sweating after my walk across campus with nearly everything I owned stuffed into two suitcases and a duffel bag. I had become accustomed to the scorching August weather in Arizona.

I started taking drama classes back home for fine arts credit in middle school, and I actually loved it. I was a terrible public speaker, and was horrified whenever I had to speak in front of any group. Acting was different for me, though. I wasn't being _me, Bella_, the biggest klutz you'll ever meet. When I performed, I was being a character. I was a person that was possibly very confident, or smart, or liked cauliflower.

I went to summer camps for aspiring actors, and did every school play up until my senior year in high school. When I applied for a scholarship to Juilliard, the school sent people from administrations and the theatre director to watch me in _Annie_.

I was nervous about that because it was a musical. My singing was only mediocre, and my dancing was bordering on atrocious. I guess they appreciated my effort for the singing and dancing part. They offered me a half scholarship, and the theater director sent an email to me telling me how she loved my interpretation of Annie.

After that to encourage me to continue acting, I was willing to leave the warm summers of the south west and come to New York to pursue my dream.

I drew in a deep breath and pulled the door open slowly. My dorm had two bedrooms separated by the shared bathroom. There was a community kitchen and place for students to work downstairs.

I had already been in my bedroom, and with my mom's help, set up the furniture we bought at a resell store. Now, only the second time I had ever opened that door, I could hear Viva La Vida by Coldplay playing, and soprano voice singing along. It was time to meet the person I would be living with for a whole school year. The music wasn't very loud, quiet enough that a petite girl with short black hair styled in spikes sticking out in every direction heard me entering.

She peeked into my room from the bathroom with a welcoming and excited smile on her face. She skipped over to me to give me a hug and help me with my luggage.

"You must be Isabella! You're an actress, right?" She said, lifting both of my suitcases onto the bed. She had an unusual amount of upper body strength for such a small person. I figured she was a dancer.

"Um, yeah," I confirmed nervously, "You can call me Bella."

"Bella," she echoed, a huge smile still plastered on her face. She extended her hand out for me to shake, "I'm Mary Alice Cullen. I go by Alice, though. I'm from Washington, and I've been taking dance lessons since I was six years old. I've always wanted to come to Juilliard. I'm so excited!" Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

I grinned back at her, happy, and a little shocked to find someone so enthusiastic about meeting me. That was probably just her personality, I guessed.

She pivoted and walked back into the bathroom, "I've been hear a few hours," she called. I could hear the cabinets and drawers opening and closing as she put her toiletries away, "I'll be finished in a few minutes, and then I can help you."

"Okay, thanks." I called to her, turning to the suitcase closest to me. Alice continued humming to the song, while I started pulling out the now wrinkled T shirts, jeans, shorts, sweatpants, sweaters, and once or twice using the few hangers that had already been placed in the closet to hang up a dress.

Alice had finished putting her own belongings away and came in while I was hanging up my special occasions outfit, "That's so cute," she said, referring to the midnight blue dress my mom had picked out for me after I had been convinced to attend the homecoming dance in tenth grade.

"Thanks. My mom found it on sale in Dillard's a few years ago."

"Awesome. Sales are wonderful, aren't they? Anyway, do you need anymore hangers? I have tons."

"No. These will do for now." I went back to the bed to open my other suitcase. I watched Alice peek into the closet and frown.

"For now," she agreed.

I examined her outfit. She had a silk black V neck blouse that was fitted below the chest, and flowed away from her body at the bottom. She was wearing dark wash denim shorts and bright red flats that looked a little more like torture devices that shoes.

I also noticed that her skin was extremely pale, which was understandable. Alice was from the Olympic Peninsula. I was from the desert, and my skin was nearly has pale as hers. Except at the moment, my skin was a little bit red. My mom and I had gone swimming in the one hundred and two degree weather a few days before I left my home with constant sunshine behind. When Alice said that, I started to think that we were going to be good friends. She had been so welcoming, and is already hinting on taking on a shopping spree with her.

We put the rest of my clothes, bathroom stuff, books, etc. away and talked about our families, and friends that we had left behind. I tried not to get to emotional when we started on the topic of my mother. I never really had a lot of friends in Arizona, and my dad was living in the tiny, rainy town of Forks, Washington. They got a divorce when I was a baby. I can't remember a time when they together, so them being separated has never been really hard or upsetting for me. My mom was the person I was closest to. She was like a best friend and a mom for me.

I didn't really bother mentioning my dad, and I was hoping Alice would catch on that I didn't want to talk about him. She did, I guess. She only asked me where he lived, assuming that my parents were separated.

"Oh, this small town in Washington," I remembered that that's where Alice is from, "Forks. Have you heard of it?"

"Yeah, I've heard of Forks. I lived in Seattle. It's really close, isn't it?"

"Yes. Have you ever been there?" I asked, excited that someone I know besides the people that live there and my mom had heard of it.

She nodded, "I drove through it to visit some friends on the reservation."

It was silent for a couple minutes. We resumed packing, and I noticed that my suitcase was almost empty.

"Thanks so much, Alice. This would've taken so much longer without your help."

"No problem, Bella. What are roommates for?" She smiled at me, and then looked at her cell phone to check the time. The real clock hadn't been set yet.

"Listen, I'm going go out with my boyfriend, Jasper, and his roommate, Edward," she explained to me, "They're sophomores at Columbia. I know Edward is started to feel like a third wheel, and I sure he'd be happy to have you there."

I was jealous that she already had friends in New York. She didn't come here not knowing anyone like I did.

"I would've loved to, but I need to run some errands. I need to pick up a few things before classes start. Tell Edward I'll be there next time to make sure he's not being excluded." I smiled, so she'd know I was joking.

Alice smiled back and went to her bedroom to get her sweater and purse. We had agreed to walk downstairs together.

I had let it slip that my birthday was coming up in the next couple of weeks, and Alice had taken to liberty to start planning a huge party. She chatted to me about decorations and what CDs she would play as we walked downstairs.

In front of the building were two guys leaning against a tree. One was tall, muscular and blonde. He smiled hugely and walked over to us. He leaned down to kiss Alice on the forehead. Their difference in height was almost comical. I figured it was Jasper.

He turned to smile at me and shake my hand, "Isabella, right?"

"Bella," I corrected him, "It's nice to meet you Jasper. I said sincerely.

"Likewise. Will you be joining us?" He slipped his arm around Alice's waist, and she leaned into him. The other guy appeared on Jasper's other side. He was also tall, but he was leaner than Jasper. His muscles were definitely well defined though. His bronze hair was messy and his dark green button up shirt made his piercing green eyes stand out.

I remembered that I was having a conversation and looked back to Jasper, "Um, no I wont being going with you," I frowned, regretting that I had saved these errands for the last minute, "I have some things to do."

Alice jumped in, "You promise to come next time right?" she asked, looking at me, and then to other guy meaningfully. She apparently hadn't gone without noticing my eyes linger on his handsome face.

"Yes," I promised Alice, but I was looking into who I was guessing was Edward's eyes.

Jasper also caught on to my attraction to Edward, and he officially introduced us.

Edward shook my hand, "Hello, Bella."

"Hi, Edward," I now spoke to the all of them, "I should probably get going."

"See you later, Bella," Alice said, and she and Jasper turned and walked in the opposite direction that I was going. Edward nodded to me, and then turned to follow Jasper and Alice.

"She _so_ likes Edward," I heard Alice whisper to Jasper. I whipped around to see Alice looking over her shoulder, grinning at me. Jasper chuckled, and Edward, thank God, didn't seem to have heard Alice.

I walked down the sidewalk, grateful for having such a social roommate, but also dreading what I had planned for tomorrow; job hunting.


End file.
